John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970John Bohnenkamp Bloghttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1The Monday Tipoff: Get ready for a lot of bracketology, but a lot of times, it’s all about the eye testhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:47:59 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2929Bo Ryan and Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday with a win over Michigan State. (Andy Manis/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Now that it is officially less than two weeks until Selection Sunday, get ready for an avalanche of bracketology.
Think you haven’t heard enough about RPI and “bubbles” and “bad losses” and “good wins”? Well, you’re going to get a lot of that this week.
I’ll be honest — I am a bracketology nerd. I love talking about the numbers, much like the baseball sabermetrics folks do (and, I’m the same when it comes to that, too).
But as much as we like breaking down the numbers — and I’ll do that down the page — a lot of what the NCAA selection committee does is related to the “eye test.”
Each committee member is assigned conferences to watch during the season, and plenty of discussion in the meeting room on the selection weekend comes down to just that — who looks like a tournament team, and who doesn’t.
That's why, on Selection Sunday, you'll see some teams get in with lower RPIs than a few who don't.
So, here’s my bracketology for today, looking at the four conferences in the region that I look at during the season.
Big TenLocks: Wisconsin (obviously), Maryland.
Likely in: Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State.
Probably in: Indiana.
Bubble: Illinois, Minnesota.
The final week: Indiana could enhance its case with a win over Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois can’t afford a stumble against Nebraska, and could help its cause with a win over Purdue. Michigan State gets Purdue and Indiana, and can help its case by beating both.
Big 12Locks: Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State
Likely in: Oklahoma State
Bubble: Texas
The final week: Oklahoma State could help its resume with a win over West Virginia on Saturday. Texas gets Baylor and a surprising Kansas State at home to close the regular season.
Missouri Valley Conference
Locks: Northern Iowa, Wichita State
The conference tournament: Everybody wants to see UNI and Wichita State in next Sunday’s title game, and they’ll probably get there. Illinois State, Indiana State and Evansville could be tough outs, but it’s hard to see anyone derailing the Panthers and Shockers.
Summit League
Lock: The conference tournament champion.
The conference tournament: Your classic one-bid league. South Dakota State and North Dakota State shared the regular-season title. Oral Roberts could be a spoiler.
[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="214" caption="A good debate question — is Samantha Logic (right) the best player in Iowa women's basketball history? (Garry Jones/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IS LOGIC THE BEST?
I posed the question on Twitter on Sunday — is Samantha Logic the best player in the Iowa women’s basketball history?
The answers were mixed — some said yes, others brought up names from the C. Vivian Stringer era.
Here’s what to consider about Logic — as Iowa coach Lisa Bluder pointed out last week, Logic is the only player in NCAA history to have more than 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals.
That’s a complete player.
It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare generations. And it’s also unfair to make a case against Logic in terms of postseason play — one of Stringer’s teams reached the Final Four.
So, rather than debate, let’s appreciate what Logic has done. Besides being such a complete player, Bluder has pointed out how much Logic, a kid from Wisconsin when she was being recruited, embraced the Iowa program, on and off the court.
“She’s been the perfect recruiter,” Bluder said before the season started.
In a couple of weeks, Logic will lead Iowa to another NCAA tournament, the fourth of her career.
The debate, of course, can continue. What Logic has done with the Hawkeyes has been amazing.
[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gregg Marshall and Wichita State cut down the nets on Saturday. Can they do that this weekend in St. Louis? (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle for the Associated Press)"][/caption]
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PRIMER
While the Big Ten and Big 12 are settling their regular seasons, others are playing their conference tournaments, with automatic bids going to the winners.
The Valley’s tournament title game is next Sunday, the Summit League’s championship game is a week from Tuesday.
A look at each tournament, as well as the Big Ten and Summit League women’s tournaments.
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe top seed: Wichita State
The No. 2 seed: Northern Iowa
The spoilers: Illinois State, Indiana State, Evansville.
What to watch: Always a competitive tournament. Wichita State sailed through this thing last year, but the Shockers and UNI seemed destined for that championship game on Sunday. They split during the season, so everyone wants that winner-take-all battle again. Everyone else needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament.
Summit LeagueThe top seed: South Dakota State
The No. 2 seed: North Dakota State
The spoiler: Oral Roberts
What to watch: The Jackrabbits and Bison shared the conference title, but South Dakota State got dumped by South Dakota in Saturday’s regular-season finale. A likely matchup between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in Monday’s semifinal could be a classic. One of the top three seeds will win — the rest of the league struggled with consistency all season.
Big Ten WomenThe top seed: Maryland
The No. 2 seed: Iowa
The spoiler: Northwestern
What to watch: The Terrapins went undefeated through conference play, and should reach the title game. Iowa would like another shot at Maryland, but will have to face a challenging side of the bracket. Northwestern closed the season with a loss to Maryland, but the Wildcats had won eight consecutive games after a loss to Iowa.
Summit League WomenThe top seed: South Dakota
The No. 2 seed: South Dakota State
The spoiler: Western Illinois
What to watch: It will be like a home game every time South Dakota and South Dakota State play — the tournament is in Sioux Falls — but the Leathernecks could spoil the party. They have a dominant player in forward Ashley Luke, and can be dangerous from behind the 3-point arc.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Wisconsin. OK, it sounds silly to say that, considering the Badgers wrapped up a share of the conference title on Sunday. But the loss to Maryland might have been a good thing for them heading into March.
Falling: Michigan State. A loss to Minnesota, followed by a loss to Wisconsin, took away some of the momentum from the Spartans.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
The Western Illinois junior forward had 44 points and 22 rebounds in losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota to close the regular season.
She has double-doubles in 10 consecutive games, and in 19 of the last 21. Luke has scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
Luke moved into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,511 points. She needs just 15 to move into second, and needs just 37 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
IowaRecord: 19-10
RPI: 47
Strength of schedule: 27
Nonconference strength of schedule: 119
Road record: 6-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-9
Status: The Hawkeyes’ case is much better these days. Four consecutive wins, two on the road … plus, they’re passing the eye test.
Iowa State
Record: 20-8
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 13
Nonconference strength of schedule: 111
Road record: 4-5
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 9-5
Vs. RPI Top 100: 12-7
Status: Still a lock, but they’re hurting their case to stay close to home. That can all be forgotten with a couple of wins this week.
UNIRecord: 27-3
RPI: 14
Strength of schedule: 117
Nonconference strength of schedule: 125
Road record: 9-3
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-2
Status: Also still a lock. The Panthers can really help their seeding with a run through the Valley tournament this weekend.
THE AP BALLOT
Two weeks left to vote in the poll, and much like the NCAA tournament committee heading into Selection Sunday, it was hard to find the last 3-4 teams.
A few notes:
• I didn’t kill UNI in the poll. Losing at Wichita State shouldn’t be a reason to send someone tumbling down in the rankings. I dropped the Panthers one spot to 11th, and moved Wichita State ahead of them at No. 10.
• I did knock Iowa State down six spots. The Cyclones lost twice, and were in control of both games. They should have been able to put away Baylor at home, and Kansas State on the road, and didn’t. They should come in right around No. 16.
• Say hello again to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up and down, and you never know what you’re going to get. Even Sunday’s win was a rollercoaster — Ohio State trailed by 12 before rallying to beat Purdue.
• I’ve been on the Murray State bandwagon for a few weeks, and the Racers keep winning. Now I’ve added another unknown to my rankings — Boise State. The Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 games, and swept the season series from San Diego State, which was in the poll last week at No. 24. Boise State has three wins over top-30 RPI teams in the last five weeks, and is tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference. So, say hello to the Broncos on my ballot.
Anyway, here’s my ballot for the week:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Arizona
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Maryland
9. Kansas
10. Wichita State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. Baylor
16. Iowa State
17. North Carolina
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Butler
21. Arkansas
22. Ohio State
23. SMU
24. Murray State
25. Boise State
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29290Iowa-Illinois post-game: White knows time is running out, and it showshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:13 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2925Iowa's Aaron White grabs a rebound in front of Illinois' Rayvonte Rice in Wednesday's game. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White wasn't about to be stopped.
Then again, he had this feeling that was going to happen.
Iowa's 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was all about White, who had 29 points, including his personal 14-point run early in the second half that helped the Hawkeyes slowly take command.
"There are a lot of thoughts I have about tonight's game, but I'll start out by saying that I thought Aaron White was spectacular," Illinois coach John Groce said. "He played like a senior is supposed to play this time of year. He was terrific when they needed him, he came up with big buckets, rebounds and played with inspiring effort.
"I thought he was, hands down, the best player in the game. And it wasn't even close."
White, the senior forward who is Iowa's leading scorer this season, scored 14 points in a stretch that started with 17:11 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes up 38-36. It ended with two free throws almost five minutes later.
Usually, White would have gotten a break by then, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery just let him go.
"What was great about him, I think, was his energy level," McCaffery said. "Because normally midway through the second half I'm trying to figure out how to get him out and rest him. He didn't want to come out. I ended up taking him out for a very short period.
"But his ability to affect the game at both ends, you know, on the glass, defensively in transition at half-court ... I mean, he was having fun."
White, though, was expecting something big.
"I had this weird feeling before the game that something special was going to happen, for myself, and for the team," White said. "And sure enough, it did. I was just in a zone there."
White was 8-of-13 from the field, going 3-of-4 in 3-pointers. He was also 10-of-12 in free throws, and he added nine rebounds and two steals.
"I talked to our team after the game about seniors dying hard, and White was that way tonight," Groce said. "He was absolutely terrific."
White says he does have a sense of urgency.
"I can't hold anything back," White said. "I can kind of see where this is going. A couple of more games left, the second-to-last game in the building. So, it's just leave it all out there and have a lot of fun. You know, this is a lot of fun playing at this level. You can't take it for granted."
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Iowa's Mike Gesell goes in for a dunk late in the second half. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
GESELL'S DUNK
Mike Gesell, the 6-foot-2 Iowa point guard, roared in for a dunk with 4:37 left in the game that gave the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 62-50.
Gesell charged down the open lane past Illinois guard Ahmad Starks for the jam that brought a roar from the crowd that was under 10,000 on a snowy night.
"We had a set play called, and I was able to beat Starks off the dribble," Gesell said. "I knew I had to get there quick, because the shot-blockers were coming."
McCaffery said he wasn't surprised by the way Gesell got up.
"No, I've seen it," McCaffery said. "I've been watching him for so long. He's got big time ups. We could run a lob play for him if he wanted to. He's got that kind of athletic ability. But what I was impressed with was the action that we ran, it's all a read. We've got action going one way, space going the other way. He took the space and we made a great play and really impacted the game."
"My eyes get wide," Gesell said, when he talked about the opening. "As a guard, you don't get many chances like that. So, it was fun."
IMPRESSED BY THE CROWD
McCaffery saw the snow falling at around noon and wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it to the arena for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
He was impressed with what he saw at game time.
"We drove to (the pre-game meal) and it was really hard, and I was wondering what kind of crowd we would get because I felt like we needed a big crowd tonight, and they were absolutely spectacular," McCaffery said. "You can't say ... I mean, you can't come up with a superlative to thank them enough for the atmosphere in this building and the impact it had on our ability to win a very competitive game."
Iowa offered free tickets to any students who could make it to the arena, which helped the final attendance number.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 21-of-48 from the field, 6-of-14 in 3-pointers, 20-of-30 in free throws. … 14 assists. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Illinois shot 19-of-57 from the field, 7-of-21 in 3-pointers. … Illini were 7-of-28 in the second half. … Iowa forced 13 turnovers, had six steals and six blocked shots. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Illinois had a 37-36 edge. … Hawkeyes got 28 boards from the starting front line of White, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff. Grade: CINTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes never backed down in a fierce game. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: White did what a senior should be doing this time of the year.
SIDEWAYS: The Hawkeyes' free-throw shooting. Iowa missed three front ends of one-and-bonus tries in the span of two seconds. Really.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29250Iowa-Illinois gamer: Hawkeyes bring the fight, and leave with a victoryhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 05:32:36 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2921Iowa guard Mike Gesell is fouled by Illinois' Ahmad Starks in the first half of Wednesday's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Matthew Holst/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — John Groce, who spent an awful lot of time on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court all night trying to coax every ounce of battle out his team, stepped out from the bench with 20 seconds to play and waved his arms to his defense.
It was time to go home. There was no more fight left.
Iowa’s 68-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night was one of those February push-shove-and-grab tussles from two teams trying to get to March.
It started when Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury tangled underneath the Hawkeyes’ basket.
And then, a couple of possessions later, Leron Black fouled Woodbury and tossed him to the floor, that prompted an awful lot of yelling from both benches.
Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights. And it was one of those nights the Hawkeyes were better at scuffling.
Iowa (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) moved into fifth place in the standings and added a little bit of strength to its NCAA tournament resumé. Illinois (17-11, 7-8), serenaded with a chant of “N-I-T” from the Iowa student section, now is going to have to scramble a little bit more.
The early tone was something the Hawkeyes expected, and knew they had to answer.
“It was very physical,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into this game. They’re a team that’s fighting for their NCAA berth. We knew they were going to come out fighting.
“We didn’t back down from the fight. We took it right at them.”
“The circumstances set up for an intense game, and a physical, tough game, and that’s what we got,” said forward Aaron White, who had 29 points — 14 consecutive in a crucial second-half stretch — and nine rebounds. “For us, you don’t want them to bring the punch. I think we just brought it with them. It was two teams knocking heads at the beginning.”
“Right away,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Right from the opening tip, it was physical.”
Groce got what he wanted from his team — “You better be tough this time of year,” the Illinois coach said — but what he also got were a lot of careless mistakes in both halves.
“We were not smart,” Groce said. “We didn’t execute well.”
The Illini were adding up the fouls in a hurry in the first half — they had 10 by the nine-minute mark — but the Hawkeyes couldn’t take advantage. They only led 33-32 at halftime, and McCaffery was furious heading into the locker room.
White, though, started the second half with his run, and it helped the Hawkeyes maintain control.
“It gave us a little separation,” McCaffery said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation up to that moment.”
“I was in a little bit of a zone there,” White said.
“He was, hands down, the best player in the game,” Groce said. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Iowa was able to get the lead to 60-50, and then when the 6-foot-2 Gesell made a pounding drive down the lane for a dunk at the 4:39 mark, the Hawkeyes had their biggest lead and a surprising crowd that came out on a snowy drive roared its loudest.
The Hawkeyes held the Illini to just 7-of-28 shooting (25 percent) in the second half.
“The second half, we got it clicking,” White said. “We hung our hat on our defense.
“That’s how you win.”
White was the only Iowa player in double figures in scoring.
Rayvonte Rice came off the bench to score 20 points to lead Illinois. Ahmad Starks had 19.
McCaffery wasn’t about to get too excited over this win — then again, he’s been that way all year.
But he liked the fight.
“That is really important in terms of our ability to compete, our ability to follow the game plan, our ability to rebound against a big, strong, quick, athletically gifted team,” McCaffery said. “That’s going to be critical, because that’s who we’re going to be facing every game from here on out.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29210The Monday Tipoff: When the X is on the O, the Hawkeyes are at their besthttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:45 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2916Nebraska's Shavon Shields is surrounded by Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons (left) and Dom Uhl during Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
Anthony Clemmons said the words that will likely make a difference in Iowa’s season the rest of the way.
The Hawkeyes had just finished off a 74-46 smothering of Nebraska on Sunday to conclude a week in which Iowa held its two opponents — the Huskers and Rutgers — to 93 points.
Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes — the Huskers took 52 shots — and only went 2-of-18 in 3-pointers.
It was a much better week for the Hawkeyes, who in the week preceding lost at home to Minnesota and on the road in overtime to Northwestern.
The key, everyone seemed to agree, was that Iowa was playing better defense, and Clemmons agreed.
Then he said the most important words.
“Defense,” he said, “is our identity.”
When the college basketball season reaches its final few weeks, it’s important that teams are playing their best defense, for a lot of reasons.
Defensive intensity carries over to the offensive end, and the Hawkeyes showed that on Sunday. Their 21-2 run to end the half was a product of stop after stop, which led to easy shots at the other end.
“You have to defend,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think when it is all said and done, when this game ended, the reason why it went the way it did was because of our defense rather than our offense.”
Nebraska missed 10 consecutive shots during one first-half stretch, and 11-of-12 in a second-half stretch.
“We always harp on getting consecutive stops,” guard Mike Gesell said. “We went a stretch where we got six stops in a row, seven stops in a row. That’s huge. That’s how you go on runs. That’s how we got out to such a big lead in the first half.”
The Hawkeyes opened the game with an 18-5 run.
“We got off to a great start,” forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “We really got into them on the defensive end, and went back at them on offense.”
The Hawkeyes’ struggles on defense cost them the week before against Minnesota and Northwestern. Minnesota was able to get a lead late in the second half by shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 50 percent in 3-pointers. Northwestern had six first-half 3-pointers that McCaffery said came from a lack of ball pressure and a lack of recognition on open shooters.
“I was more concerned with our defense — or I should say our inability to defend the way I would have liked against Minnesota,” McCaffery said last week. “Start of the game against Northwestern wasn’t good. Wasn’t a clear understanding of, should I help or not.”
That changed last week. Iowa held Nebraska and Rutgers to a combined 35-of-107 shooting, including 7-of-40 in 3-pointers.
Asked if defense had been more of a focus during the week, McCaffery said, “I think a little bit of that, I think a renewed emphasis, you’re right on that.”
The Hawkeyes focused early in Sunday’s game on Nebraska forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against them in January, and guard Terran Petteway. Petteway finished with 16 points, but went 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. Shields was held to a season-low three points.
“We were up in their space — Jarrod blocked Shields’ first shot, Petteway missed his first couple of shots,” McCaffery said. “Those two guys are eventually going to make plays, make baskets. But you don’t want those guys to get going.”
The Hawkeyes, going forward, are going to have to have that same kind of mentality — they can’t let the opponents get going. In the last two weeks, they have learned that getting away from their defensive identity is a bad idea, and getting back to it can shift the course of a season in a hurry.
One of McCaffery’s favorite sayings is, “The X is on the O.” Iowa is 17-10, with four regular-season games and at least one Big Ten Tournament game to go.
The Xs are going to have to keep outplaying the Os.
SHOWDOWN IN WICHITA
Everyone in the Missouri Valley Conference is talking about Saturday’s rematch between Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
The two start the final week of league play tied for the lead, and the game is already drawing national attention — ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Wichita on Saturday.
But to get to that point, UNI has to get by Evansville at home and Wichita State has to beat Indiana State on the road.
Evansville handed the Panthers their only conference loss of the season — a 52-49 defeat on Jan. 1. Indiana State is in third place in the Valley, and the Sycamores’ only home loss in league play was to UNI.
Evansville and Indiana State have something on the line this week. They’re battling each other and Illinois State for seeding behind the Panthers and Shockers in the Valley tournament. Evansville, at 19-9, has postseason tournament hopes.
Wichita State would be hurt a little bit more than UNI with a loss — the Panthers currently hold the tiebreaker because of the 70-54 win in Cedar Falls back on Jan. 31.
It figures that the Panthers and the Shockers will hold serve, and meet on Saturday — one game, winner take all.
But it might not be an easy step to get there.
ASHLEY LUKE WATCH
Ashley Luke, Western Illinois University’s standout forward, continues her impressive run to the end of her junior season.
Luke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 75-56 home win over Denver.
Her current stretch includes these numbers:
• Luke has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in eight consecutive games.
• She has had a double-double in 13 of the last 14 games, and 17 of the last 19.
• Luke ranks in the top 10 in Division I play in double-doubles this season with 18.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising:Michigan State. The Spartans have won four consecutive games, and are in a three-way tie for second place. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
Falling: Nebraska. The Huskers have lost seven of their last eight games, and coach Tim Miles is locking the team out of their locker room at their practice facility.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 17-10
RPI: 55
Strength of schedule: 23
Nonconference strength of schedule: 106
Road record: 5-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: A lot better than this time last week. A road win, even at Nebraska, always helps. And the Hawkeyes can pass the “eye test” these days.
Iowa State
Record: 20-6
RPI: 9
Strength of schedule: 14
Nonconference strength of schedule: 107
Road record: 4-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 8-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 11-5
Status: Cyclones are making a case for a solid 3 seed. You could argue for a 2, but given the teams ahead of them, that might be difficult. Still, if they run the table and then win the Big 12 Tournament...
UNI
Record: 26-2
RPI: 17
Strength of schedule: 155
Nonconference strength of schedule: 120
Road record: 9-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 7-1
Status: Panthers still making a good case for a 4/5 seed. The road record and neutral record will stick out when the NCAA selection committee starts breaking down resumes.
MY AP BALLOT
Tough calls again at the bottom of the ballot — a lot of teams with good resumés are playing tough schedules, but they also aren’t winning games.
I bumped up Iowa State to No. 10 because of the Cyclones’ two road wins during the week. As noted above, they have eight wins over the RPI top 50, 11 over the top 100. They’re No. 2 in the standings in the toughest conference in the nation, a game behind Kansas.
I wish their could be a voting option of 10A and 10B, because it was tough putting Iowa State one spot ahead of UNI. I wish those two could have played this season, but unless the NCAA selection committee somehow puts together a bracket that has the two facing off at some point, it’s not going to happen.
So, here’s the ballot.
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa State
11. Northern Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Wichita State
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Murray State]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29160Iowa-Nebraska post-game: Clemmons is in ‘attack mode,’ and that’s a good thing for the Hawkeyeshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:20:31 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2910Iowa's Anthony Clemmons (5) drives around Nebraska's Benny Parker in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Anthony Clemmons vowed at beginning of the season that he would be back to his old ways as a player, and for the most part, he's backed that up.
Still, the Iowa junior guard admits he has had some down times this season.
"There was a little stretch in the middle of the season where I kind of dropped down," Clemmons said after Sunday's 74-46 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "But I talked to the coaches and they gave me the confidence, saying, ‘We still believe in you. You put in the work in the offseason. You rededicated yourself to the program."
Clemmons went back to his home in Lansing, Mich., over the summer to work out with friends and try to regain the fire after a sophomore season where his struggles made him at times the forgotten man in Iowa's rotation.
Clemmons came back and earned a starting spot, spending the first 12 games in the lineup before returning to a reserve role as sophomore guard Peter Jok emerged.
But, other than a few games where he's struggled, Clemmons has played a crucial role with the Hawkeyes this season.
He had eight points in 25 minutes in Sunday's game, playing a key role in Iowa's 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half.
"He’s been playing really aggressively," guard Mike Gesell said. "And we need that out of him, especially defensively. He can really get after people on defense. And that’s what he was doing.
"He played great."
Clemmons calls that his "attack mode."
"Just keeping everybody involved, talking trash, bringing energy on the defensive end, being aggressive on the offensive end," Clemmons said. "I think that’s what helps me as a player. You know, when I’m in attack mode, I get people going too. Whenever I’m in attack mode, that helps our team."
Clemmons played both guard spots in this game.
"And he was great in both spots, and that's the thing you've got to love about him," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's 6-1, and he's covering (Nebraska guard Terran) Petteway, and that's a tough cover for him — Petteway is 6-7, so he did a good job there. And then when he had to run the offense, he did that."
Clemmons also had three assists and a steal, and did not have a turnover.
"I’ve showed stretches where I can be ‘that guy,’ I’ve shown stretches where, you know, I can be a 10-minute guy," Clemmons said. "Now, I blame myself for my actions, because I put in the work, I’ve done what I’ve had to do. I wanted to come in aggressive this year, and I think I’ve done that so far."
ANGRY MILES
Nebraska coach Tim Miles is known for his wit, but he wasn't happy after Sunday's game, questioning his players for their effort.
"You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing," Miles said. "That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
"I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride. I was looking at the stats, and they don’t matter. The game plan doesn’t matter. When you come out and kind of half-ass it … a team like Iowa remembers how we knocked them out of the NCAA tournament two years ago. They know what they’re fighting for. They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic."
Miles pointed to Iowa's shooting percentage as an example of how the Huskers struggled — the Hawkeyes were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent), 5-of-10 in 3-pointers.
Asked if his team lacks chemistry, Miles said, “They like each other. Do we have the right mix of players playing together? Obviously not. Because I haven't been able to put the right groups out that consistently perform well on both offense and defense. I think this is the first time we've allowed 50 percent for an opponent in 38 games. The next closest in the Big Ten is 14. We had this unbelievable streak of excellent defense and that tells you everything. We were just awful today."
THE GRADES
Breaking down the Hawkeyes' win.
OFFENSE: Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, and had 17 assists against 8 turnovers. Grade: A.DEFENSE: Nebraska made just 17 field goals in 40 minutes. … Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 38-30 edge. Grade: A.INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes took the momentum from Thursday's rout of Rutgers, and kept rolling. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Aaron White had 18 points and 11 rebounds, a week after he went 1-of-12 from the field against Northwestern.
SIDEWAYS: Hard to pick one out — this was a solid team effort from beginning to end.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29100Iowa-Nebraska gamer: Down, then up, the Hawkeyes roll over the Huskershttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 23:45:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2906Iowa's Aaron White (top) and Nebraska's Benny Parker battle for a loose ball in the first half of Sunday's game. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)"][/caption]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Maybe there’s a simple explanation to why this Iowa basketball team can be wounded from devastating losses one week, and smiling and laughing after big wins the next week.
It’s been coming from coach Fran McCaffery all season — the Hawkeyes only look at the next game, and yeah, he admits, that’s probably coachspeak.
But maybe there is something to all that. Iowa, it seems, is a team that never really deviates from its calm.
One week ago, the Hawkeyes were smarting after an overtime Big Ten loss at Northwestern. Then they cruise through the next seven days, routing Rutgers by 34 points at home before rolling into Nebraska’s shiny new Pinnacle Bank Arena and pounding the Huskers 74-46 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior forward Aaron White had a lecture for everyone after the game.
“Like I told you guys, we had a bad week,” said White, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, one week after making just 1-of-12 shots against Northwestern “We needed (this week), it wasn’t any question. It wasn’t like we could come in here and play OK. We had to have a good week. And that’s what we knew. I think we understood that as a group. And that takes great maturity, great understanding, as an individual, and as us as a team.”
Junior guard Anthony Clemmons said it’s those kind of words from the upperclassmen like White that keep the Hawkeyes from turning a small slide into a sickening ride like the one they took at the end of last season that nearly kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
“They all come to us after losses, and say, ‘It’s not the end of the world. We can still push forward,’” Clemmons said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it keeps everybody confident, in whatever we’re doing.
“You know, we came in this week, tried to get reconnected, be prepared, just locked in on the game plans we were on.”
McCaffery is known for letting his team know when he’s unhappy, but, at least in public, he has taken the same approach to not get worried too much about the future.
“I think everyone overanalyzes things like that,” McCaffery said. “The one thing that I always say — and you guys probably think I am just saying it — is I am respectful of the teams that beat us. Oh, we lose two games and everyone is saying that those were two bad losses
“We lost to Minnesota and played them pretty good, they have pretty good players and a good coach. Then, same thing, we lost on the road to Northwestern. They played great. ... So you go to the next one, you try to play better and win the next one.”
The Hawkeyes (17-10 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) blitzed Rutgers on Thursday, which they should have done, since they were at home and Rutgers had won just two Big Ten games all season.
Then they came here and just took whatever life was left of the Huskers (13-14, 5-10), whose collective sleepwalking through 40 minutes on a sunny afternoon prompted coach Tim Miles to ponder taking drastic action to wake up a slumbering team that went to the NCAA tournament last season and has been a massive bomb this season.
“You never want to throw your players under the bus, but that was just beyond disappointing,” Miles said. “That’s not what we represent. When I was at Southwest Minnesota State as the coach, to pay for shoes at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota for a weekend to pick up trash. If I had the option, I would do that tonight, tomorrow and the next day to pay back the fans for their tickets.
“I thought we showed a softness, a lack of leadership and a lack of willingness to listen to leadership. It’s unacceptable. You have to have a great amount of pride to compete when things aren’t going well, and we just didn’t show any pride.” The Huskers didn’t show much of anything, and a lot of that had to do with the swarming Hawkeyes, who started the game with an 18-5 run, and closed the half with a 21-2 burst over the final six minutes.
Iowa made eight of its last nine shots of the half, while Nebraska made just 7-of-31 for the entire half.
“We got crucial stops,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. “They couldn’t get any rhythm, for the most part. We locked them up.”
“Every coach tries to get their team to play like that,” McCaffery said. “We have played like that, and we have not played like that — so has every other team. But when it all comes together like that and they are playing unselfishly and playing defense, I think as a coach that is the best feeling, when your team is playing like that. The challenge then is trying to get them to play like that all the time.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up — they led by 31 points in the second half — and the Huskers had no fight left.
Iowa’s defense held forward Shavon Shields, who had 25 points against the Hawkeyes in January, to a season-low three points. The Huskers finished the game going just 17-of-52 (32.7 percent) from the field.
“They know what they’re fighting for,” Miles said of the Hawkeyes. “They looked like a team with pride. They had poise. They had aggressiveness. And they really put on a clinic.”
It was the right way to end a better week. Then again, McCaffery said, it’s the way his team has been all year.
“It comes down the them containing their emotions,” he said. “For the most part we maintained our composure.”]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29060Iowa-Rutgers post-game: Woodbury knew there would be talk of the dunkshttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:36:41 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2903Iowa center Adam Woodbury (center) goes in for a first-half dunk in Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Let's talk about Adam Woodbury's two first-half dunks.
"Ha," the Iowa junior center said after Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I knew you guys were going to ask that."
Woodbury's jams set an early tone for the Hawkeyes, who led 24-9 a little more than nine minutes in and were never really threatened after that.
Woodbury stands 7-1, but he has always characterized himself a certain way.
"If you guys watch me play, I’m a below-the-rim type of guy," Woodbury said. "I don’t have to describe that for you."
But the two dunks in the first five minutes of the game put some life into what was a sparse crowd on a cold night, and helped give an early spark to an Iowa team that had stumbled into back-to-back losses coming in.
Woodbury said it was all about his teammates getting him the ball.
"Yeah, those guys put me in a good position, and I was able to finish," Woodbury said. "It was kind of one of those deals. Sometimes I dunk it, most of the time I don’t."
The second one was the most impressive. Woodbury got the ball on the left side, near the 3-point arc, and when he saw a wide-open path to the basket, he charged in for the dunk.
"The lane opened up — I was kind of surprised it was that open," Woodbury said. "It let me get to the rim. It was almost like a drill, the way the lane opened up for me."
Woodbury only had one more field goal the rest of the game, and finished with seven points.
Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery liked what he got from Woodbury.
"Yeah, I thought he was terrific," McCaffery said. "He screened, he rolled, he got stuff done in traffic, he was active. I thought he was terrific. His defense was good, smart. That's what we need from him."
Woodbury said to not expect him to become this high-flying dunk artist.
"I got lucky a couple of times," he said, laughing. "It is what it is."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR JOK
Peter Jok had 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and McCaffery said the key for the sophomore guard was "activity."
"Moving without the ball, have a sense on when to hit the slip guy, when to move it on, when to shoot it, when to shot-fake," Jok said. "He was out running."
Jok was 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 in 3-pointers.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 30-of-59 from the field, 8-of-17 in 3-pointers. … 19 assists on 30 field goals. … 13-of-22 in free throws. Grade: B.DEFENSE: Rutgers was 18-of-55 from the field, 5-of-22 from 3-pointers. … Iowa forced 19 turnovers. … Hawkeyes had 13 steals. Grade: A.REBOUNDING: Iowa had a 39-33 edge. … Hawkeyes gave up 11 offensive rebounds. Grade: B-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes struck early, and kept Rutgers from making any sort of run. Grade: A.PHENOMENAL: Anthony Clemmons had one of his better floor games — 7 assists against 1 turnover.
SIDEWAYS: Mike Gesell had just four point and one assist in 18 minutes.
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29030Iowa-Rutgers gamer: Hawkeyes needed to take out their frustrations, and they did thathttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 04:06:22 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2900Iowa forward Aaron White (30) celebrates with his teammates during a timeout early in the second half of Thursday's 81-47 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)"][/caption]
IOWA CITY — Aaron White snagged the ball near the opposite free-throw line and figured, what the heck.
White roared toward the basket, sliced through three Rutgers defenders, and dunked to give Iowa a 24-point lead.
It was the kind of play you see in one of those December snoozers, but this was a Big Ten game on a cold February night with the Hawkeyes needing some sort of win to keep another blemish off what is slowly becoming a scarred postseason resume.
The 81-47 win over the Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena snapped Iowa’s small two-game losing streak that had enough of a scary feeling to it to make it look like it could grow.
The 64-59 loss at home to Minnesota last week and the 66-61 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Sunday infuriated the Hawkeyes, because of what they felt they let get away.
Since almost all of the players were around last year during the February fade that nearly kept Iowa out of the NCAA tournament, the concern was there to keep that from happening again.
“Every game is big,” said center Adam Woodbury. “But when you go through a mini losing streak, you always want get back on track. This was a perfect time.”
The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) took their anger out on the Scarlet Knights, and White’s dunk might have been the best example of that.
“I think I made it pretty apparent I was frustrated about how I played the last game, finishing around the basket,” said White, who was 1-of-12 shooting in Sunday’s loss. “Maybe I took some of that out on (the dunk).”
White said the Hawkeyes, though, kept their focus.
“You’ve got to view each day, each game, as a way to get a little better,” White said. “I think that’s what we were able to do from last week to, so far, this week. Obviously two losses that we didn’t really like. No one is happy with a loss, but what we did was kind of sit down and be like, ‘What can we do better to become a better team?’”
“I think it’s a confidence booster,” said forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. “Rutgers isn’t bad.”
Well...
This was a Rutgers team that had handed Wisconsin its only Big Ten loss of the season, but the Scarlet Knights (10-17, 2-12) came here having lost 10 consecutive games.
It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to add to that streak. They had an early 19-4 run to take a 24-9 lead, then held Rutgers to just two points over the final 5:53 of the first half to lead 42-24 at halftime.
“For us to beat them like that says something,” Uthoff said. “We kind of got them sideways. And it snowballed from there.”
“With a team like that, you’ve got to kind of set the tempo early,” Woodbury said. “We tried to maintain it during the game — I thought we did a good job of that. We came out strong both halves.”
There wasn’t going to be any second-half fade that at times has cost Iowa this season. Still, there was enough sloppiness at times to draw Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s ire, including a kick of the scorers’ table with about 13 minutes to play.
“I thought earlier on, our effort level and our attention to detail was really good,” McCaffery said. “We were a little bit complacent in the second half, in terms of trading baskets, which was a little bit disconcerting at that point in time.”
The Hawkeyes kept Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, Rutgers’ two leading scorers, from going off. Mack had 11 points, three under his season average, while Jack had just two points, more than 11 under his average.
“Hey, it’s hard to win in this league,” McCaffery said. “You get a win and you play well...I’m very respectful of what Rutgers has done.”
The final margin was the largest for a McCaffery team in a Big Ten game in his five seasons as Iowa’s coach.
“That’s kind of irrelevant to me, as long as we win,” McCaffery said. “I just want my guys to compete and play hard and execute and win. They did that.”
Uthoff was one of four Hawkeyes in double figures in scoring. White had 13 points, Gabe Olaseni had 12 points, and Peter Jok had 11.]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=29000The Monday Tipoff: Panthers know ‘the number,’ but are mature enough to handle ithttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:06:23 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2897UNI coach Ben Jacobson isn't concerned with how his veteran team handles the attention that comes with this season's success. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)"][/caption]
A lot of college basketball coaches will shy away from “the number.”
Coaches don’t talk about rankings — they mean nothing in the grand scheme, and sometimes teams get a little too excited about “the number.”
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson doesn’t mind talking about his team’s rankings. Now, he won’t overdo it — that isn’t Jacobson’s style.
But he doesn’t mind “the number,” because it means nationally, people are thinking about and talking about his team.
And when you’re a school like UNI, that’s what you want.
“Coach Jake mentions it,” said senior forward Seth Tuttle, who, if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, will end his career being listed among the He’ll say, ‘You’re up to 13 now,” or ‘12 now.’ ‘Congrats, that’s a heck of an honor. And really, that’s about it. We talk about how we should feel really good about it.”
The Panthers (24-2 overall, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 13 consecutive games after a conference-opening loss at Evansville. They are now 11th in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in school history. UNI is 19th in the RPI, a main formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Jacobson doesn’t mind looking at those numbers. He said on Monday’s Valley coaches teleconference that every day, he looks at things like the RPI and bracket projections.
“But I don’t give it much thought,” he said.
Jacobson knows he has a veteran team, and that his players can handle all of the talk about numbers.
And he isn’t worried about them looking ahead. It’s less than three weeks until the conference tournament, less than four weeks until Selection Sunday.
“Right now, and it’s the coachspeak, but our guys have done a good job of taking things in stride, and getting ready for our next game, that I haven’t really thought about it,” Jacobson said.
It’s hard to see the Panthers losing any time soon. There are three more games to play before the season finale at No. 13 Wichita State in a game that likely will determine the Valley’s regular-season champion.
With everything going so well, Jacobson said he’s trying to make practices interesting without getting away from the Panthers’ core beliefs. They have been successful, because they play to their identity — a team that can grind its way to victory, always seeming to find a way to win no matter what is thrown out by the opponent.
In last Wednesday’s 83-64 home win over Illinois State, the Redbirds tried to get UNI into an up-tempo game, and the Panthers responded by scoring 50 first-half points.
Fast or slow, UNI knows how to adjust. That comes from a veteran team, and it’s why Jacobson doesn’t seem too concerned.
The Panthers get it — they know they’re good, and they know they’re something special. Like their coach, they don’t want to shy away from it.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like we’ve got everything that’s necessary to make a run,” Tuttle said after last Wednesday’s game. “ I’m not talking about the NCAA tournament. I haven’t won a game in the Valley tournament, so I want to make a run in the Valley tournament.”
So they’ll embrace “the number,” because why shouldn’t they?
“That number can skyrocket quicker than it can go downward,” Tuttle said. “I’ve mentioned it before — we’re trying to build on each win, and trying to keep getting better.”
“I keep talking to the guys about keep continuing to build, continuing to find some ways to get better,” Jacobson said. “I’m just asking the guys to build, really keep building.”
What the Panthers are building continues to be historic. And they’re mature enough to enjoy the moment.
IF THERE WASN’T EXPANSION…
It’s interesting to think about where the Iowa women’s basketball team would be had the Big Ten not expanded to 14 teams.
The Hawkeyes are firmly in second place in the Big Ten, 1 1/2 games behind league-leader Maryland, one of the two new additions to the conference. And one of their two losses was to Maryland.
Iowa has won 10 of its last 11 games and sit two games ahead of third-place Rutgers, the other newcomer, with four games left to play. The Hawkeyes own the tiebreaker with the Scarlet Knights, having beaten them in their only meeting earlier this season.
Iowa is ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press poll, and are 7th in the NCAA’s RPI, so the Hawkeyes seem poised to be one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would mean they would host the first and second rounds.
They are 14-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena so far this season with two games left at home. Win them both, and the Hawkeyes would have the school record for home victories.
CHASING FOR THE SUMMIT
Western Illinois University’s women’s basketball team is still in the thick of the Summit League championship hunt with four games left in the regular season.
The Leathernecks, who won at IUPUI on Saturday, are 8-4 in conference play, two games behind leader South Dakota and tied for second place with South Dakota State. Western Illinois closes the regular season by playing those teams on the road.
At 16-9, Western Illinois has clinched a winning season, which has coach JD Gravina thinking of a postseason bid.
“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been in the conversation in a long time,” Gravina said Monday.
Forward Ashley Luke continues her big season. Luke, who averages 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, has scored in double figures in 62 consecutive games, and has had a double-double in 15 of her last 17 games.
BIG TEN STOCK WATCH
Rising: Michigan State. The Spartans won back-to-back games last week, and are only a half-game out of second place. They do close the season with four of their last six games on the road.
Falling: Iowa. Still a roller-coaster team. The Hawkeyes suffered two ugly losses last week to Minnesota and Northwestern, squandering any momentum they had after the home win over a ranked Maryland team.
RESUME WATCH
Breaking down the postseason resumés of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. RPI numbers are from the NCAA.
Iowa
Record: 15-10
RPI: 56
Strength of schedule: 12
Nonconference strength of schedule: 110
Road record: 4-3
Neutral record: 0-3
Vs. RPI Top 50: 4-6
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-9
Status: Not as bad as you think, but maybe not as good as you think, either. Sunday’s defeat at Northwestern was the first “bad loss” on the resume. They can’t afford another.
Iowa State
Record: 18-6
RPI: 13
Strength of schedule: 18
Nonconference strength of schedule: 155
Road record: 2-4
Neutral record: 2-2
Vs. RPI Top 50: 6-4
Vs. RPI Top 100: 10-4
Status: The NCAA’s mock selection session with the media had the Cyclones as the 13th seed overall in the 68-team field, which would make them a high-4/low-3 seed in the tournament. That seems about right.
UNI
Record: 24-2
RPI: 19
Strength of schedule: 153
Nonconference strength of schedule: 148
Road record: 8-2
Neutral record: 3-0
Vs. RPI Top 50: 1-1
Vs. RPI Top 100: 6-1
Status: Still solid, and it’s hard to see that changing.
THE AP BALLOT
Not too many dramatic shifts this week, but that’s because we’re at that point in the season where it’s rare the teams in the 11-25 spots can go without a loss here or there.
So, here’s the ballot. Actual ranking in parentheses.
1. Kentucky (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Gonzaga (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Wisconsin (5)
6. Villanova (6)
7. Kansas (8)
8. Arizona (7)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Northern Iowa (11)
11. Utah (9)
12. Louisville (12)
13. Iowa State (14)
14. North Carolina (15)
15. Wichita State (13)
16. Maryland (16)
17. Oklahoma (17)
18. Arkansas (18)
19. Texas (NR)
20. Ohio State (24)
21. Baylor (20)
22. Butler (19)
23. Oklahoma State (22)
24. SMU (21)
25. Murray State (NR)
]]>http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?feed=rss2&p=28970Iowa-Northwestern post-game: Oglesby hits shots, but he would rather have the winhttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2893
http://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2893#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 00:44:52 +0000John Bohnenkamphttp://www3.thehawkeye.com/bohnenkamp_blog/?p=2893Iowa guard Josh Oglesby (right) and coach Fran McCaffery react to a foul call in overtime of Sunday's loss to Northwestern. (Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press)"][/caption]
EVANSTON, Ill. — In a little more than a minute, Josh Oglesby looked like what he has been expected to be for the Iowa basketball team.
Oglesby hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Iowa its first lead in what would turn out to be a 66-61 overtime loss to Northwestern on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
It was the first time Oglesby had hit a 3-pointer since the Jan. 24 game at Purdue. In fact, he had taken just two shots in the last three games, frustrating coach Fran McCaffery every time he passed up an open look.
The two 3-pointers he made in this game accounted for all of his six points, his highest scoring output since the Dec. 30 Big Ten opener at Ohio State.
But Oglesby wanted something else — a win.
"It feels a little better," Oglesby said. "I’d rather be 0-for-6 and get the win than make a couple of shots (and lose)."
At least he was shooting the ball. McCaffery said after Thursday's loss to Minnesota, when Oglesby passed up a number of open looks, that he couldn't explain why one of outside shooting threats wasn't shooting.
McCaffery liked what he saw in this game — Oglesby got some crucial minutes in overtime.
"I thought he was good today, in a lot of ways," McCaffery said. "Defensively, he did a lot of good stuff. I thought he moved the ball, he attacked the zone, made some shots. Yeah, he was real good."
"It was great to see that," guard Mike Gesell said. "He kills it every day in practice. As a point guard, I want him to keep shooting. I want him to shoot the ball every time he touches it. That’s what we needed from him."
Oglesby, a senior, is dealing with a sense of urgency.
"I’ve just kind of realized that my career is coming to an end," he said.
Oglesby's first three, with 9:55 left in the second half, got Iowa to within 36-35. His second three, at 8:54, put Iowa up 38-36.
"Just had to keep following through, shoot when it’s open," Oglesby said.
And that's the formula he'll take into the rest of the season.
"I just want to keep playing the way I’ve been playing, shoot the ball when it’s open," Oglesby said. "It's what I have to do."
WHITE'S STRUGGLES
Forward Aaron White went 1-of-12 from the field. It was his worst shooting game this season since he went 0-of-6 in the Dec. 3 win over North Carolina.
Since he suffered the injury to his right shoulder against Purdue, White had been 21-of-40 from the field in the last four games.
"I was 1-for-12," White said. "Couldn’t make a shot."
THE GRADES
OFFENSE: Hawkeyes were 20-of-62 from the field, 8-of-24 in 3-pointers. … 13-of-20 from the free-throw line, including critical misses in overtime. … 15 assists against 4 turnovers. … 12 shots blocked. Grade: D.DEFENSE: Northwestern was 21-of-50 from the field, 9-of-20 in 3-pointers. … Wildcats had nine assists on 10 first-half field goals, 13-of-21 overall. … Hawkeyes had five steals and forced 10 turnovers. Grade: C-REBOUNDING: Northwestern had a 39-38 edge. Grade: C-INTANGIBLES: Hawkeyes could never get control against a team that had lost 10 consecutive games. Grade: F.PHENOMENAL: Jarrod Uthoff had 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting, and hit two critical 3-pointers late that forced overtime.
SIDEWAYS: White and Adam Woodbury combined to go 1-of-17 from the field, missing too many chances to finish inside.
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